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PaperclipPerfector  2d ago (text post)   1717 thread views

Small-Scale Question Sunday for May 17, 2026

Do you have a dumb question that you're kind of embarrassed to ask in the main thread? Is there something you're just not sure about?

This is your opportunity to ask questions. No question too simple or too silly.

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This is a very impoverished way of seeing the world. You could use the same reductionist logic to say that love is nothing but chemicals firing in the brain, or that morality is nothing but dressing on cold, utilitarian game theoretical outcomes to push cooperation.

It's one way of looking at life, that has perhaps some truth to it, but is ultimately deeply flawed.

This is a very impoverished way of seeing the world. You could use the same reductionist logic to say that love is nothing but chemicals firing in the brain, or that morality is nothing but dressing on cold, utilitarian game theoretical outcomes to push cooperation.

This is orthogonal to my point. I'm basically talking about p-zombies. My disagreement is not about the value of love, morality, loyalty, etc. I just take issue with dog owners who insist that these are qualities that one can find in dogs. I consider humans to have all been produced in a similar enough mold to go about my life assuming that they aren't all p-zombies. Dogs come from a very different path. One that I interpret as producing something closer to a p-zombie. I believe Jane Doe when she says she loves to ski. I have doubts Fido loves playing fetch any more than Claude loves to code.

If you were to suddenly go comatose with only your dog around, how long do you think before it starts eating your face and gnawing on your ribs? Is that what you call love and loyalty?

If you were to suddenly go comatose with only your dog around, how long do you think before it starts eating your face and gnawing on your ribs?

Various very unfortunate experiments show to us humans frequently resort to cannibalism once starved enough. Including consuming their own offspring, for example. As I said, if you step on this stairway and walk on it consistently, with open eyes and cold logic, it won't lead you to a happy place.

For a bonded dog? Your corpse would stink and the city would show up before it started to eat you. They’ll eat feces first.

Seconded. If you break everything down to its molecular structure, then yeah life is pretty goddamned stupid and no one should try for anything. "The only philosophical question is suicide" and all that.

Sometimes you just have to let fun, stupid things be fun and stupid. I do this all the time with sports, Christmas, raising kids, etc.

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